Updated: July 17, 2020

If you are a provider, please visit our COVID-19 for Providers page

Community resources page: We are compiling an ongoing list of resources that could be helpful during this time. Click here.

LCBDD COVID-19 Response Update

Visitors to wear face coverings

As Ohio continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities will monitor guidance from the Ohio Department of Health and the Licking County Health Department and follow all orders from Governor Mike Dewine related to COVID-19.

Starting at 6 p.m. July 23, Ohio is under a state-wide mask mandate. Per the Governor’s order we are requiring that any member of the public who enters our facility wears a face covering.

A face covering is a piece of cloth that covers the nose, mouth and chin. Coverings must be worn indoors and outdoors when a person is unable to maintain six feet of social distance.

The requirement to wear a facial covering does not apply when:

• The person is under ten years of age,
• The person has a medical condition, including those with respiratory conditions that restrict breathing. Mental health conditions, or disabilities contraindicates the wearing of a facial covering,
• The person is communicating or seeking to communicate with someone who is deaf, hard of hearing or has another disability, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication

A list of all exceptions and additional information is available at https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/public-health-advisory-system/.

Please see below for additional information about our COVID-19 response plan.

Additionally, our agency has established a Continuity of Operations plan (that will be updated at https://lickingcounty.gov/covid_19_notice.htm ) and our Leadership Team is meeting regularly to respond to new information.

Please be aware that aspects of this plan will likely change. We will continue to update our community in this rapidly evolving situation.

Operations:

• The E.S. Weiant Center is open to the public, and will continue to be staffed during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday) Our on-call service coordinators can continue to be reached after hours by calling 211, to assist with emergencies.
• Our staff members who have board-issued mobile devices will continue to work from home three days a week and work in the office two days a week, following a schedule set by their supervisor.
• Those who do not have board-issued devices will continue to work all their regularly scheduled hours in our office
• As we learn more and the summer progresses, these policies and procedures are subject to change and we will continue to inform our community of any changes.

Meetings and visits:

• Meetings held using phone conferencing or remote technology will still be the preferred format. In person meetings will only take place if a person does not have the connectivity or strongly objects to a virtual meeting. In that situation, the meeting will only be held at the E.S. Weiant Center, 116 N. 22^nd St, in Newark.
• LCBDD staff will make every effort to limit the number of in-person participants in the meeting. For example, a person and their service coordinator might meet in person but the rest of the members of their team may be asked to join via conference call.
• All participants in in-person meetings will be required to wear a face covering, unless they qualify for one of the exemptions. If they do not have a face covering, a disposable one will be provided in our lobby. They will be asked to maintain six feet of social distance between themselves and LCBDD staff members at all times. If they are experiencing any COVID-like symptoms leading up to the meeting, we ask that they contact LCBDD to reschedule.
• Any trainings or larger meetings of 10 people or more, that LCBDD staff members participate in, will be conducted virtually.
• If you need to meet with your service coordinator or primary service provider, please plan to make an appointment. As always, if you have any questions about this, don’t hesitate to contact our office at 740-349-6588.

Forms and documents

• If you have something that needs to be dropped off at the LCBDD office, please enter the lobby, where you will find a table with envelopes, pens and a drop off box. Please put the document in an envelope, seal it and write the name of the LCBDD staff member on it, then place it in the drop-box. Please take the pen you used with you. Please wear a face covering, unless you qualify for one of the exemptions.
• If you have a document to pick up, please contact your service coordinator or primary service provider so they can make the arrangements to leave it with our front desk. Once you arrive, please call 740-349-6588 and let them know what you are picking up. The items will be placed in an envelope in a “pick up box” and you will be able to leave your vehicle to retrieve them. Please wear a face covering, unless you qualify for one of the exemptions.
• Items may also be sent via mail or email.
  • Please send items by mail to:

Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities

116 N. 22nd Street

Newark, Ohio 43055

Please put the name of the LCBDD staff person receiving the document on the envelope

• Items sent via email can be directed to your service coordinator.

• If you are not planning to pick up or drop something off, we ask that you make an appointment before coming to the building.
• When you arrive for the appointment, please wait in your vehicle and call the person you are meeting with. They will advise you when to come inside the lobby.

Office procedures:

• All current work stations (cubicles and offices) promote the proper social distancing required. Additionally, capacity of the E S Weiant building is sufficient to ensure social distancing.
• Hand sanitizer is available throughout our building for visitors. Our staff has been asked to use it frequently and wash their hands often with soap and water.
• Our staff members have been equipped with cleaning supplies and meeting spaces will be wiped down after each use.
• All staff members are required to wear a face covering unless they are alone in an enclosed office, seated at their desk with six feet of social distance between them and the people around them, or have a documented reason why they cannot wear one.
• Internal meetings will be limited to 10 people or less.
• Staff members and visitors are expected to maintain at least six feet of social distance between people at all times.

Families:

• Please note, as our staff members work remotely they may be reaching out on their mobile devices. If you see a call from an “unknown number” it might be our staff member trying to reach you. Please note if our staff members leave a voicemail, they will ask you to call the main LCBDD number (740-349-6588) and our front desk staff will help you get connected.
• If a family contacts an LCBDD staff member, and they are not available to answer, we ask that you leave a voicemail with the best call-back number, rather than relying on caller-ID.
• Please use the resources listed below if you need assistance making the best decisions for you and your family members. If you have a family member in a residential facility, it is important to stay in communication with that facility for information about staffing and visitation. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our office at 740-349-6588.

Providers:

• We would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our providers and their willingness to work together during this difficult situation. They are making challenging choices to keep people safe.
• We have established a dedicated webpage for providers that will be continuously updated with information. Please visitorg/covid-19-for-our-providers/.
• LCBDD’s Provider and Transition Supports department is working with providers to offer support and will be checking in with them on a regular basis.  Our agency has also set aside funds to help provider agencies offset the costs associated with cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment and supporting individuals in new ways during this unprecedented time.

Resources:

The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities has started a webpage to help families, providers and county board employees stay informed about COVID-19. Check it out for the latest: https://dodd.ohio.gov/…/our-…/resource-dodd-covid-19-support

For additional information regarding COVID-19 please go to: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

The state of Ohio has established a website for resources and information: coronavirus.ohio.gov.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has also opened a call center to answer questions regarding coronavirus (COVID-19). The call center will be open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and can be reached at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).

The Vermont DD Council has created a guide to COVID-19 that uses simple language. Find it here.

What you need to know about the coronavirus in American Sign Language (from the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities.)